Posted 3 сентября 2021,, 06:24

Published 3 сентября 2021,, 06:24

Modified 24 декабря 2022,, 22:38

Updated 24 декабря 2022,, 22:38

Lavrov suspected the United States of intent to steal Russian athletes

Lavrov suspected the United States of intent to steal Russian athletes

3 сентября 2021, 06:24
Фото: РиаНовости
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States can steal Russian athletes who are in real competition with American athletes, and this can be done under the pretext of doping violations.

Lavrov made a statement about the probable abductions of Russian athletes and their forced export abroad at a meeting with representatives of the sports community of the Sverdlovsk region.

“I do not exclude that just as the Americans kidnap those whom they suspect of something around the world, and simply take them to their territory illegally, I do not exclude that similar methods will be used to punish athletes who have passed a positive test and which the Americans consider a threat to their interests in international competitions, ” RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying.

At the same time, Lavrov did not explain on the basis of which he came to conclusions about the possibility of abducting Russians.

Earlier, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, sharply criticized the results of refereeing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo: at the end of the individual competitions in rhythmic gymnastics, Zakharova said that the judges went for forgery against Russia in front of the whole world. This happened after the Russian women for the first time since 1996 were left without personal gold of the Games in rhythmic gymnastics on August 7.

Zakharova said that the judges at the Olympic Games in Tokyo started a "Russophobic war against sports." They made an effort to prevent the victory of Russian athletes.

“Therefore, spitting against the wind, we went for forgery in front of the whole world,” summed up the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The reason for Zakharova's sharp statement was the decision of the judges to put the Russian woman Dina Averina in second place, recognizing Lina Ashram from Israel as the winner. This happened despite the gross mistake of the Israeli participant, who allowed the loss of an object while performing with a ribbon.

The clouds around Russia in the sports arena thickened as a result of the doping scandal at the Games in Sochi, during which fraud with athletes' samples was revealed. Due to the doping scandal, the Russian team was disqualified, banning athletes from the Russian Federation from performing under the national flag and climbing the podium to the national anthem.

To combat doping, the US Congress passed the "Rodchenkov Act" allowing US courts to issue criminal sentences for doping at events in which American athletes participate. The law got its name on behalf of the Russian Grigory Rodchenkov, who acted as an informant to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the investigation of a doping scandal involving Russian athletes.

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